Identical Opposites
by Kate H Ross
Summary: The misadventures of Kate and Tess Ross, pls. r/r!


"Hey Tess." Kate approached her twin sister  
"Hey."  
"Do you have that stupid meeting after school today?"  
"Which one? Drama, chorus, lit club..."  
"Shut up, little miss involved."  
"Sorry, sorry."  
"No, I mean the one about driver's ed. Stupid course."  
"Yeah, you?"  
"Oh, speaking of...nope, tomorrow......can use the car this afternoon? I need to lug stuff for crew. As you   
know, we're building the sets today"  
"Yeah sure, you probably want more time with that guy...what's his name?"  
"Hey!"  
"Yeah....He's coming"  
"Oooooh..."  
"So can I use the car or not?"  
"Depends...do mom and dad know?"  
"Teeeeeeess!" She whined  
"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate!" Tess replied, grinning.  
"Since when do you care what mom and dad know? Aren't you supposed to be the wild one?"  
"Aren't you supposed to be the sensible one?" She countered.  
"Dad knows, I called him, told him I'd be home late."  
"Yeah sure." Tess rolled her eyes. "And him with a snake tattoo?"  
"Hey, it's not a snake!" Kate protested angrily.   
" Dad doesn't like that guy...then what is it?"  
"It's a rare lizard, an endangered species. *You* wouldn't have heard of it" She added, trying not to burst out   
laughing.   
"Uh-huh...and Mom?"  
"Mom's working."  
"With Dad?"  
"No, Dad's just coming home, actually. His shift ended 10 minutes ago."  
"Wow, that's a first, it's like, 1:15."  
"I guess I *am* the organized one." Kate smiled at her "big sister", who was really not too much older.   
"Guess so."  
"Well he has a presentation or something tomorrow. New med students maybe?"  
"Perhaps. Wonder if Dad's gonna invite them over again...remember the last time?"  
"I know. You're always checking them out."  
"Hey!"  
"You always do!"  
"Here, you take the keys now, or I'll lose them." Tess sighed.  
"Thanks Tess I owe you for this!" Kate grabbed the keys and began to walk down the hall.  
"Sure as hell you do." Tess muttered. "Wait wait wait, you have to be back soon!" She called after her sister.   
"I gotta go pick him up... what do you mean, this is going to take all afternoon!"  
"But mom and dad have that guy coming for dinner...what's his name...Carver?"  
"Carter's coming over?"  
"Something like that...yeah, he's visiting. He's got a conference in town."  
"We haven't seen him since....oh damn." Kate looked panicked. "I have to cancel with Josh!"   
"Lizard boy?"  
" Stop it! Do you think they'll give us the auditorium space to use next week? I don't want to miss John's   
visit...I mean Carter."  
"Yeah, sure." Tess smiled at her sister. "He *is* about 45, you know."  
"Ewww, Tess! He's like our big brother!" Kate smacked her sister's arm lightly.  
"I know! Ahhh!" She grinned at Kate. "If drama isn't there, then I guess so."  
"Drama's always there! Don't you have a damn rehearsal schedule?"  
"Usually, but we never observe it."  
"Ok, ok...I'll go pick Josh up and we'll grab the stuff from storage and drop it backstage. Then I'll race home,   
shower, change, and I can get home in time to be ready for Carter."  
"And me, the procrastinator, will wait until the last fifteen minutes."  
"Do you know what time he's coming?"  
"Ummm...nope. No clue."  
"Damn."  
"Hey, it isn't my job!"  
" Well, I don't want to be showering or something when he comes! Why did he have to pick today!"  
"Call Mom or Dad. There's a phone in the office."  
"I have Mom's old cell, remember?" Kate pulled it out of her bag. "They don't cancel the service til next month, so mom let me use it. Figures she picked me, not you." Kate smiled at her forgetful party-loving sister. "Should I ask Mom or Dad?"  
"Dad's probably still at work, you know he never gets out on time. Call the admit desk."  
"OK, guess you're right." Kate dialed the number of the Cook County General ER.  
"Tell them about the lizard boy!"  
"Mom, hey, it's me...Kate!...geez, anyway, shut up Tess! ...no, just a friend.....um, is john carter visiting?" She paused. "He is. When is he getting in, and why didn't you tell me!"  
"She did, you just weren't listening!" Tess interjected, happy that she had caught her sister on cloud nine for once.   
"Fine, fine, 4, great...Tess, I said shut up...ok mom, fine...sorry Tess"   
She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Sometimes it's obvious as to why you're younger than me..." glaring at Kate, but quickly breaking into a grin.   
"Happy now mom.....gotta go now, set stuff...see you at 3:40" She pressed "end" and dropped the phone into her bag.   
"3:40?"  
"He's coming in at 4, and Mom gets in at 3:40, then Dad's going to pick him up. And by the time he gets back, I will be showered, if with extremely wet hair......maybe I'd better lend the car to Josh and just go home. I need the time to get ready."  
"You're not lending the car to lizard boy! No way!  
"It's my car too! And besides, you drive more recklessly than anyone I know!"  
"So? It's fun!"  
"Come on, Tessieeee! What am I gonna do about Lizard boy...I mean Josh! Be a good big sister!"  
"If we cut last period, we can drop him off and get home early. Lie to dad, tell him..."  
"Gee, big choice." Kate, 'the good twin' groaned.   
"Tell him you got sick and I had to drive you home! But you're feeling fine now..." Tess smiled.   
"I'm not cutting, I have a presentation. It's 25% of my final grade."  
"So go first!!! Volunteer to go first because you feel like you're gonna spew!"  
"Tess, you drive him home, he has a free last...I trust you completely. He knows where the sets are stored."  
"You trust me with your boyfriend?" Tess asked suspiciously.  
"You know what...forget it. I don't need you in a car with "lizard boy""  
"You know me too well."  
"No, I'm desperate...I'll ask Sandy or Amy. Or I'll cancel. Will he kill me if I do?" Kate asked nervously, turning to face her double.   
"Not if he's good enough for you." The mirror image replied. "Call him, might as well use the phone."  
"Fine. He's out to lunch right now, it's his lunch period." She grabbed the phone and dialed his cell.   
"Lizard boy..." Tess giggled quietly.   
"Josh, hey...can we reschedule? Some friend of my mom and dad from work is coming and I gotta be there....thanks...TESS, SHUT UP!...sorry, you know sisters...sorry, so I'll see you Sunday?"  
"Ooooooooooh Sunday..." Tess grinned. She loved to annoy Kate.   
"Great Josh, gotta go...me too..TESS! Sorry, I have to go strangle my sister. Don't be surprised if she's dead soon....geez. See ya then...." She glared at Tess and then added sweetly, "Bye Josh!" before hanging up.   
"I just love egging you on."  
"Tess, I'm going to kill you" The statement had no effect on Tess, who continued to laugh, almost collapsing on the floor. "See if you're laughing when you're dead."  
"Sorry, sorry."  
"Besides, I bet you cut 8th anyway, and I can make sure Dad finds the detention notice this time!"  
"You do, you die. I know where you live." She added menacingly.   
"I know where you hide your...." Kate grinned as Tess clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent whatever she was going to say from being heard in the hallway.   
"No!"  
"Yeah. And mom will find it if you don't stop it."  
"If you tell Mom and Dad, I swear...this josh guy won't want to hear your voice, let alone kiss you!"  
"Stop it, damn it!"  
"Sometimes I wish I were an only child."  
"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't leave that stuff in the house, darling big sister"  
"Shut up!"  
"Why do you, anyway?...As long as it's not in our car, I guess."  
"As if it's any of your business!" Tess replied angrily.   
"Well why do you have it in the first place? I mean...geez, Tessie!"  
"You do too...somewhere."  
"Not that you would ever find...that is if I had it..." Kate tried to cover her mistake unsuccessfully.   
"So you do!"  
"No....."  
"Yes...." Tess was determined to find the truth.   
"What are we talking about again?" Kate joked, eager to change the subject.  
"Oh shut up! So you're not skipping?"  
"Tess, do I ever?"  
"Miss goody two shoes!"  
"Hey, at least I don't have detention tomorrow...which, by the way, you almost forgot.....I had to take the notice out of the mail. Dad would have freaked, Mom too. Be more careful next time."  
"They never know, so they never freak."  
"Because you or I always takes the letter out of the mail! If they ever got one of those....you'd be dead"  
"I know...can't think about that. Accentuate the positive."  
"Josh and I are going to the movies Sunday."  
"Do you really like this lizard guy?" Kate nodded.   
"And if you tell mom and dad, I slip them the detention notice in tomorrow's mail!...Do you think I do?"  
"I think you do, but you can't go behind their backs forever"  
"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black..."  
"ugh, fine, anyway...."  
"Time for 7th period, I have a free."  
"Lucky." Tess said, eyeing the parking lot right out the door.   
"But you, Tess, have Chem. So scoot."  
"Can't I just skip?"  
"And If I Catch You Cutting...." Kate said in a warning tone.   
"But Kaaaatie!" She whined, trying to waste as much time as possible.   
"Now go to class." Kate instructed, like a mother dealing with a young child. "Don't make me check on you, I'm getting sick of covering for you anyway!"  
"Yes *Mom*." Tess groaned, turning and walking down the hall.   
  
~*~ That Afternoon ~*~  
Tess strolled into the girls' bedroom, buttoning a sleeveless shirt as she walked.   
"Tess, my shirt!" Kate said, only a little surprised. Tess and Kate practically shared all of their clothes, though Tess wore Kate's more than the other way around.   
"Sorry, sorry."  
"You can wear it, but only if you zip this damn skirt. It's being a pain."  
Tess did so, happy to be able to wear Kate's clothes. She was the one who saved enough money for the really great outfits. Tess spent her money as soon as it was in her hands.  
"Thanks." Kate stood up and looked anxiously in the mirror. "Well, how do I look?"  
"It's cute. Sure lizard boy would get a kick out of it."  
"Josh, Tess. J-O-S-H!"  
Carol of course picked that moment to walk into the room. "Who's Josh, Kate?"  
"Mom! No one....a friend." Kate bit her lip.   
"Hey Mom." Tess said, trying not to laugh.   
"Sure, I believe you." She winked at Tess and laughed a little. Anyway, girls, John's going to be here soon, and he might have some luggage, so can you scoot downstairs?"  
"Luggage? He's staying here?"  
"He's staying over in the guest room, yeah. we told you last week!" Carol sighed, knowing her girls had more important things on their mind...like this Josh guy, whoever he was.   
"Sure, we'll be right down Mom, just let us finish." Kate was trying to rush Carol out of the room. No such luck.   
"Thanks sweetie...Tess, your teacher called *again*!"  
"Really?" Tess asked calmly, turning and shooting a nervous glance at Kate.   
"Stop cutting Chem, twice is enough for one year....really honey. We'll punish you after John leaves...I suppose." She sighed again as she left, knowing neither she nor Doug would punish Tess or Kate for anything. They rarely did.   
"Twice, yeah right!" Kate threw a balled up pair of socks at Tess.   
"I told you...I'm going to murder you." Tess threatened unconvincingly.   
"Who took you out?"  
"No one, I went to Chem!"  
"Sure Tess. You skipped, or you cut Lab this morning, either way..."  
"So he'll be staying in the guest room, that means we have to share the bathroom." Tess quickly changed the subject, not wanting to admit that she had in fact cut Chemistry lab that morning.   
"Geez, terror of terrors. We share DNA, I think we can deal with the bathroom." Kate grinned.   
"Hide the important stuff." Tess left the room and went to the bathroom connected to the guest room, which Tess usually used.   
"*Important*, Tess? You mean incriminating?" She smiled as Tess nodded, standing on the toilet and reaching behind a mirror on the wall to a small hole in the otherwise perfect bathroom. They had carved the hole when they needed it. She pulled out 2 packets of birth control pills and a few small boxes. She handed it all to Kate and replaced the mirror.  
"You know, we really shouldn't keep this too long, they won't work after a while." Kate remarked, holding up the pregnancy test, only for emergencies.   
"I know, I know..."  
"Yeah, whatever, you have to go to the store, I went last time. The checkout guy must think one of us is always pregnant!!"  
"No, why would he?"  
"You know how many of these we've bought?"  
"We just have to keep them...in case...I don't know, how many?"  
"Even if we really don't have to use them, this is our fourth."  
"Fourth?"  
"Well, I used our first one... Ahna got into our second one."  
"You did?" Tess asked, almost falling off the toilet bowl.   
"Yeah, I did. Ummmm, when I was going out with Eric...." She looked away from her sister's inquiring gaze.   
"Really Katie?"   
"Thought you noticed it missing."  
"Yeah, but...I wasn't gonna assume that. I figured it expired...or something."  
"And we always thought you'd be the one to need it." Kate tried to force a laugh, but she didn't find herself very funny at the moment.   
"Guess not."  
"Um, can we just.....get these away...Carter's coming soon." Kate turned to leave the bathroom, checking the hallway for Carol, who was thankfully in the kitchen.   
"Yeah sure." Tess looked nervously at Kate, not wanting to have to ask.   
"It was negative, Tess, relax." Kate said before stepping out into the hall.   
Tess sighed, totally relieved. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kate, she was definitely the more responsible one, but it worried Tess that Katie never told her about the test.   
"Want me to put it with my *stuff*?  
"Geez, your *stuff*, it sounds so....you don't have....how do I ask this....."  
"What?"   
"I mean, I think you'd tell me, but....well...you're not gonna end up in the ER because of any of the shit you have in there, are you? I think you get what I mean..."   
"no!!!!!!! Good god, Katie!"  
"Because I do recall....that time at the party...after the party I should say...and I just don't want anything happening to you, and..." She stopped as she heard a car approaching.   
"John's here." Tess said. I'll go put this away, give it to me." She held out her hands for the various items Kate was holding.   
"Almost forgot I was holding it. Thanks, I'll go meet John." Kate, even though she was supposed to go downstairs, followed her sister into the bedroom.   
"You know he's getting old...I think he's 45 now or something." Kate remarked, trying to make conversation.   
"Think so."  
"How weird, I have the coolest picture of him...he must have been about 30. Maybe 32, because we were 6 or something. We went to visit, I know because he was wearing the same stupid tie as in a picture of us with him. He was cute back then."  
"'Uncle Carter' we called him...remember?"  
"Til we were at least 8." Kate replied, grinning.   
"C'mon, let's go see him!" Tess smiled, racing to the top of the stairs.   
"Hi mom, Dad...hey John!"  
"Hey, Kate, Tess! You two are big."  
"Yeah, well you haven't seen us since we were 10." Kate shook her head. "Come on, is your memory going already? I didn't think you were *that* old!"  
"Hey girls."  
"Hi Dad!" The girls said in unison, something they often did. They had since they could talk, actually.   
"How was set building, Kate?" Doug asked absently as he put a few papers on a table by the door.   
"I didn't go, I came home instead."   
"Why did you do that? Wasn't Josh going too?"  
"Mooooom!" Kate groaned. She quickly changed the subject. "John, you want to see where you'll be staying? I can take your bags for you...."  
"Yeah, sure." He wasn't very enthusiastic, probably because he was tired. He'd worked a long shift before traveling to Seattle, and hadn't had a chance to sleep.   
"I'm the techie, my actress sister would probably just sigh a lot until someone did it for her"  
"Stop it."  
"Stop." Doug and Carol replied at the same time. They grinned at each other.   
"I thought that was just a twin thing." Doug remarked, still smiling.   
"Guess it's rubbing off on us." Carol replied, also smiling.  
Tess groaned and muttered, "They're really sad..."  
"Shh, they'll hear you." Kate whispered back, holding back laughter.   
"I can hear you." John whispered to the girls.   
"Not you. Come on. " Kate lifted two large bags and started up the stairs. Laughing, John too the remaining tiny carry on bag.   
"Oh, look at the little prince, one tiny bag." Tess grinned, then looked down at her own hands. "Eh, you've got me beat."  
"Very funny, Tess." Kate said, walking up the stairs without turning back. "Here's your room, Carter." She threw open the door of the semi-small guest room.   
"Nice place." He threw the carry on down and looked around the room.   
"Yeah, bet it's not half of your place, Mr. Rich Boy." Tess giggled, then saw that John wasn't laughing.   
"Sorry John."  
"It's OK. Just shut up." He teased, laughing. "I'm used to it. Besides...nevermind."  
"Whatever John, we've got to go put some stuff away. You think you can find your own way downstairs in our mansion?"   
"Katie, I told you, stop it. Really now."  
"Kate."  
"What?"  
"Not Katie, Kate. Ummm...only Tess calls me Katie. Sorry, I just..."  
"I get it, twin nicknames. Very nice. Fine, *Kate*, I'll see you guys at dinner. And I think I can find my way, yes."  
"K Carter, see you at dinner." Tess called, pulling her sister out the door.   
"Bye John!"  
"Bye Tess, bye Kate!" Tess shut the door and grabbed Kate's arm.   
"Tess, why are you pulling me?"  
"I found an old photo of Carter, wanna come see?"  
"Sure!" Tess and Kate ran to their rooms, which were connected by a bathroom which Kate usually used.   
"You're never gonna believe this picture..." Tess grinned as she flipped through the photo album and came up with a picture of John dressed as Santa Claus.   
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"  
"Definite blackmail." They grinned at each other and settled down to think of what they could get out of John for the photo.   



End file.
